


Love Me Sweet

by DumbDinoB



Category: The Beatles (Band)
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Slow Burn, Smut, bug boys, give me break i have parental supervision, my adoptive mom is helping me with the tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:22:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25194604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DumbDinoB/pseuds/DumbDinoB
Summary: Brian has been a very lonely man for the longest of times , that was until he met someone whose ideals where close to his own , after helping him and his boys to make their career sky rocket . Brian becomes attached to music engineer George Martin . The boys catch some hints but are respectful about it leaving a naive George to wonder .
Relationships: Brian Epstein/George Martin
Comments: 8
Kudos: 11





	1. Meeting

Tired. Was the perfect word of whatever Brian was feeling right now. He had contacted at least four record companies and nothing. It haunted Brian's mind. The label owners weren't usually the nicest of people

"Rock bands are on their way out, Mr.Epstein"

Those words resonated in his head with every step he took as he walked back to his office. There was pressure on his shoulders for weeks now. John and Paul had been going about Brian not getting them a label after he promised to get them out of their current pay. Sure enough, Brian did promise them that label, and he was going to get it no matter how many times he was told 'No'. He had hope for them, as well as a strange feeling that with the right contacts they will get far. They just had to keep on looking.

Brian sighed as he turned to his parent's house. It was heart-warming to enter his mom and dad's house after a long day of work, even better if there was dinner waiting for him. He stumbled in the house after opening the door and upon closing it he heard a voice say: "Brian dear, back from work?" Brian chuckled.

"Yes mum, it's hellishly cold out as always."

He carefully took off his shoes and hung his coat to bask in the warmth, in contrast with the cold weather in Liverpool , it made coming home more enjoyable. His mom had cooked dinner, which was probably the highlight of the day for Brian. For him, a meal by his mom regardless of her knowing his preferences made him feel as healthy as ever.

Dinner went on like a blur, his mom asking how his day was and him saying a lie that 'It was busy' and indeed it was busy, but not as successful. Soon enough he kissed his mother goodnight and headed upstairs dragging his suitcase along with him, he loosen up his tie and opened the door to his room and carefully put the briefcase on the desk. He then sat on the edge of the bed let himself drop back on it and sink in the bedsheets, soaking in the comfort. He looked at his cabinet and took a small brown glass bottle and popped it open , not feeling fully tired. After swallowing the pills down with some water that was already placed there since the morning, he stood up and ordered some papers in the suitcase before finally feelings his eye heavy with the effect of the pills. He soon felt sleep take over his body as he succumbed to full slumber.

*-Next Morning-*

The rising sun poured into Brian's room and touched his eyelids to indicate him it was time to wake up. He rose from the bed stretching slightly followed by a faint groan. He turned over and sat up from the bed, and just like yesterday he had a long day to come. He hopped into the shower to freshen up.

He took his suitcase along with him as he rushes through breakfast and head out.  
When he walked into his office, conveniently located above his record shop. He was greeted with Freda, and she was a delight as always.

Brian then gave her a soft smile as he asked "Anything new?"

The girl replied "Other than Paul and John droppin' by to ask if they accepted the tapes? No , but I did see a few letters that might need some attention"

With that she reached over the counter and handed Brian a few letters and he sighed at the thought of John already complaining the next time he walks through the goddamn door after remembering how persistent they were, he then goes to his office and leaves his case on the side and goes to his chair looking through the letters.

As Brian crossed his legs, he scanned through the letters until a name caught his attention. He set a pile aside as he tapped his pen against the wooden desk.

Brian reads the messenger out loud "Apple Records?" He carefully opens the letter and then reads through it; it became a routine of constant rejection. But what he saw made his eyes open wide, he quickly wrote some critical things down. Then he stumbles over a book and reaches for his phone to call Freda, who answered almost instantly and Brian in his contained excitement said "Call them and tell them they have a meeting set up for Friday at 2:00 Pm."

Brian smiled and clapped his hands together in sign of joy, keeping his elegant appearance untouched. He runs a hand through his hair as he then starts thinking out loud "I gotta meet them tomorrow, oh, finally! I think I will easily sleep tonight" He chuckled at the slight dark joke and then went back to taking care of monetary things from his other bands, a smile on his face as he felt a significant weight being lifted from his shoulders.

That afternoon Brian made a few phone calls that indicated that he was going to be busy the next day.

*-Next Day-*

Brian was at the door of the named 'Apple Records' it had been a chilly day but Brian had a fuzzy warm feeling that made him forget about the cold. He was greeted by a lady who led him to a studio. The lady quickly said, "Mr.Martin has been eager to meet you, Mr.Epstein."

Brian could only smile and politely said" I have been looking forward to our meeting as well" which was an understatement to how excited he was

When they got to the door of the recording studio,the lady knocked and soon footsteps could be heard making their way from the other side, a pit of anxiety and hope bundled up in Brian's stomach. Still, he only fiddled with his fingers a bit to show such emotion.

The door swung open to reveal a rather tall man he had seen him after getting almost getting rejected by another label, the man taller than himself for sure, he had to look up slightly and when he did he was met with a pair of blue eyes staring back. The man looked like he was a serious man; his strong features helped highlight this marked cheekbones and a slightly broad chin. Brian was then snapped out of his thoughts by the man's voice.

"Ah, Mr.Epstein glad to have you here. My name is George Martin. I'm the man who send you that letter"He spoke in a slightly posh voice.

This didn't help Brian's slightly distracted state, Martin extended his arm and once again helped Brian come back to his senses, he obliged to a handshake and then smiled back saying

"Thank you for that, Brian Epstein, even though you must know that by now."

The lady had gone away by now, and Martin signalled Brian with his arm that he could walk in and so Brian did, he sat on the nearest chair he found and set his things to the side of Martin followed suit. Brian was noticing almost every action, not only was Martin, a clean looking man, he was also very polite.

"Would you like a drink Mr.Epstein?"He asked as he looked back at him from his desk.

Brian looked up and said "Ah, A drink would be nice" he knew it had to be some type of liquor, that would help his current situation.

As Martin was serving two glasses of scotch, he begins "I heard the tape you sent, those boys have talent."  
Brian smiled a bit unconsciously like a proud father and said: "You should've seen them in the Cavern they are extraordinary but just need some polishing."

Martin comes back with two glasses, giving one to Brian and then sitting down in front of him with his drink at hand, Brian looked at the other man's hands holding the glass, long slender fingers he looked up again as Martin continued.

"Polishing is what I wanted to discuss, you see, I have them already recommended to EMI, and the boys play great, but there is a small detail" He takes a sip of his drink  
Brian tilts his head and asks "What's that?"

"You said Pete Best was on drums, yes? Well his drumming is just...not the best for the rest of them, I may have a candidate who can replace him"Martin answered in all honesty  
Oh boy here comes the weight

Brian says "Who?" His thoughts scattered he was relieved to know the man wasn't turning him down but having to say goodbye to Pete and worst, telling the others about this was going to be harder. To top it all, he knew that he had to tell Pete himself.

"Do you know Rory Storm and the Hurricanes? Well their drummer is a 'seasoned professional', and I thought he might be a great replacement, Richard Starkey" Martin said

The name rung a bell, of course, George had talked about a drummer who they used to steal back in Hamburg to go drinking and chatting, the boys had confronted him once about getting Pete out but the time had to come. George had leaned his elbows on the armrest and crossed his legs which made Brian stare at his figure for a bit and then noticing the obscene behavior he blinked and continued the chat

"Ah yes, but I am honestly terrified of the change I am not sure of the reaction of the public, and honestly I think he is an alright drummer, the girls also see-" His excuses were interrupted by Martin

"Change never hurt anybody, Ringo said that the others were on board with the idea, I spoke to him a few days ago, and we only need you to get Pete out, and that's all."

Brian was a bit doubtful by how calm the man was and how convincing he sounded, he pinched his temple and then sighed, he knows the consequences of this, but with Martin, in the room, they seemed like a blur to him.

"I will do the arrangements then, thank you again for giving them a chance" Brian gave in

The conversation lasted a bit longer than expected, the both of them talking about mostly business-related things or the band, sometimes they will do a joke or two, but the two-man sounded like they both deserved a break from it all, well this was sort of a break, at least for Brian who hasn't had a good chat with any of the people he had been working with, Martin seemed immersed as well in talking with Brian who was an odd thing considering they were mostly talking business

A topic that he should have not have brought up appeared

"Do you have a wife waiting at home, Mr.Martin?" He asked

"Only if I were lucky, I do not. How about you Mr.Epstein? A man with your ideals should've found himself a pretty girl."

Brian wanted to laugh at the sentence; the thought of it was funny. But he kept quiet and only felt slightly bashful at the praise he got, he gave a short chuckle

"Me? No, it's not my field at the moment."

Fuck.

Brian regretted being a bit too upfront, it slipped out, but probably Martin didn't get his hint. When he looked up he found Martin staring at him, it was a thoughtful look, but somehow it wasn't a disgusting look, it was more of a curious one. Brian was caught a bit off guard by it, he looked away and chuckled nervously to erase that awful silence

"Oh I see, well it's all good," Martin said with a soft smile on his face

Brian felt comforted by that smile on the man's face, he looked at his suitcase and said "It's getting a bit late, don't wanna sleep too late tonight" He nodded a bit to himself and then without looking at Martin he headed to get it when he did his thoughts deafen him enough not to hear the man stand up and then grab his wrist in a careful manner which made Brian freeze, he thought he was going to get beat up again or that the man was going to cancel everything they had worked on this afternoon, but instead he heard

"I'm glad you told me, just know that it doesn't make you less of a person to be that way Mr.Epstein, do the boys know?" He asked, there was concern in his eyes

Brian says "Yes they know umm- I need to go I'm sorry" He looked at the hand holding him, and he panicked a bit, Martin seemed to catch up with this and then let go of the other's thin wrist and then gave a quick "Sorry-" Brian then held his wrist  
"It's alright, well until we see each other on Friday?" Brian asked smiling

"Looking forward to it, Mr.Epstein"Martin smiled back as he opened the door for him

Brian walked out, and the lady was outside just as he opened the door she looked confused, but she walked in any way with a few letters that he assumed were for Martin as he walked down the hall, he took his jacket and then left feeling a bit hurried. He got in his car and breathed a bit heavily, he ran his hand through his hair and blinked a few times in confusion. He turned on the car and then started driving away from the building an to his house, his haven at the moment. The car's rumbling was the only noise in the vehicle which meant Brian was alone to think

What just happened? This surely won't get him the sleep he hoped for


	2. Studio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the acceptance of Ringo in the band and a few gigs , Martin and Eppy have to spend more time in the studio making sure everything runs smoothly

Friday arrived like a blessing in disguise, after the incidents that the replacement caused it will be good to take a break from the public eye and George's actual purple eye that he got from defending Ringo in their gig. People seemed to be getting costumed to the change , Ringo was indeed a far better drummer which relieved Brian a bit, he had been in different press conferences and the voice had started to spread about the boys having five hour lines waiting for them out in the streets surrounding the Cavern. But Friday came around, and he had to be faced with Martin again, they had an awkward first interaction there is no denial of that but somehow it wasn't an unpleasant one but still, the first one to ask how his meeting with Martin was Paul.

"He is a fun one isn't he? I assumed he convinced you to bring good ol' Ringo with us"The younger boy asked

Paul was making up of the first time he came late to their first meeting for the sake of a shower by coming early to the next upcoming reunions, Brian was sat across him on his desk as he took his eyes off the wall and to look at Paul, his head had been thinking about the upcoming meeting that he had left Paul to smoke a cigarette in silence. Brian then answers breaking the silence at once 

"He beat my first impression, he is actually a very simple man unlike the many others who's shoes I had to kiss to even consider if you guys will get the label"

Paul gave a short laugh and let's some of the smoke in his mouth.

"Christ, are they that mean? I thought that most should've been like Martin , and London is not the friendliest of places when it comes to people like us"

"Well, but there is people like Mr.Martin that are quite nice" Brian retaliated.

Soon enough there was a knocking at the door and two youngsters moved in the room and then as energetic as always John, George and Ringo greet Paul messing up his hair on the way in as they salute each other, they had small things covering their faces because of their new found popularity. Brian only stared from behind his desk as he chuckled softly putting a hand on his chest to contain it, he always saw the band as a group of kids having fun, even though it didn't benefit him sometimes it was fun to see them as they were, four Liverpudlian boys having a blast. John then brought Brian back by patting his back a bit harshly and shaking him

"Did you buy him dinner and take him home, Eppy? He seems awfully nice towards all of us"

"I beg you pardon?" Brian asked trying to sound offended but he was actually chuckling mid-sentence.

"I say did you shag him, Eppy" The younger one smirked as he shook Brian once more.

"Of course not, do you not believe in your talent?"Brian retorted with a small smirk as he carefully moved away from John

"I do, I was just wondering if he was being genuine"

The other boy was left with a small grump not getting the reaction he expected made him feel slightly defeated, this earned a chuckle from the group. He then grabbed his suitcase again and looked around making sure he wasn't forgetting anything. He walked out of the office with the boys following a suit, chatting about their expectations and such. Freda waved all of them goodbye as the group did the same, they had grown attached to Freda since every time Brian wasn't there she would be the one receiving them. He had to drive them to the studio, it kept things low-key and it meant that Brian didn't have to meet Martin by himself. The boys squeezed into the car one by one, having premeditated that George was going on the front with Brian and so the machine roared to life and they were on the way to Apple Studios once more, which only left Brian thinking on the way there, his head never seemed to find rest.

As they all got to the doors of the studio Brian stood behind the four boys as the same lady guided them to the studio, George and John already making passes at the girl who only lifted a hand and showed a golden ring in her index finger which was their signal to back away from her and leave her alone for the day before one of them becomes a homewrecker, the group walked through another door which led to the actual studio but Brian was led to the sound control room where Martin was waiting for him along with someone who he hasn't seen before.

"Hello Mr.Epstein-"He manged to say before he was interrupted by the George's voice.

"You fellas should stop with formalities, we call him Eppy" He said with a toothy grin

It was like everyone here knew about what happened yesterday, or more what went through Brian's mind yesterday. Before Brian could protest Martin chuckled and made Brian the favor of shutting of the intercom between the two rooms along with the door behind them.

"Alright Eppy, if you don't mind me calling you that. We are going to record at least 15 tracks if that's fine, I think they will do great for a few singles. Mr.Richards here makes up for my absences from time to time"

"More like when he doesn't feel like steppin' out of bed, thank God I'm leaving early today" The named man stood up and shook hands with Brian

"Ron Richards , a pleasure" He said with rush

Brian obliged and shook his hand with a smile "Brian Epstein, the pleasure is mine"

After that Ron said his goodbyes with some notes for Martin before leaving the two man at the booth, the boys were already in their designated microphones and instruments as Brian sat on a chair in front of the complicated panel, he was glad he wan't the one that had to control any of this. He crossed his legs and stared at the boys from behind the thick glass, he was glad to see they all looked quite cheery which made him smile a little. That was until he felt Martin leaning very close to him to reach the intercom button, he swore he could feel his breath from were he was, Brian swallowed as he tried to keep his attention on the boys and then he heard Martin speak to them.

"Alright lads , Take 1 , Love Me Do"

The relief that he felt when Martin sat down on a chair that he had pulled closer to him, was one to worry. But Brian sort off missed the closeness, if you could even call it that. After he heard the boys starting to play, he sat there and listened closely to keep his mind from wondering away again , he tapped his foot with the rhythm of the music, Martin was doing very little modifications here and there since the song was already pretty good by it's own account. Martin looked focused on the boys as he let's them play, Brian was also looking out at them a bit proud and glad that he found them in the first place, Martin looked at him with the corner of his eye and smiled as well going back to his realm of concentration.

The afternoon went by with John and Paul making passing jokes that were left on the takes they did, Brian had been discussing with Martin what was the best course of action with some of the recordings and so on, they both acted like their last meeting was normal and that nothing strange happened, but that felt like the big elephant in the room anyways.

After a while of only business talk, it was time to adress the encounter

"Hey Eppy?"

"Hmm?"He turned to look at Martin as he heard his name, raising a brow in question.

"What happened yesterday , I apologize if I came off as weird. It's just most of the people who come foward to me about it run away or just ignore me completely like if they spoke to me it will kill them" Martin's eyes looked worried as he looked at Brian.

"Well, as you know this is a...cruel world we are in. So fear of that secret coming out is very reasonable. Trust me, I know very well"He chuckled as he fidgets with his own hands, caressing them as if it will relieve him from his insecurity.

"Had any bad expiriences yourself?"

Brian stood quiet a bit tense by the question it felt like there was a knot in his throat making him unable to speak or even breath, he then heard a voice from the other side of the glass that cut through the dense quiet room. Ringo had spoken on behalf of the group this time 

"Can we grab some lunch, Eppy?"

Martin pressed the intercom button so Brian could managed to answer "Of course, but you lot gotta comeback in an hour, we gotta get through as much as we can"

And so with that the boys set their instruments to the side and then started heading for the door to the outside of the studio. Brian then sighed and dropped as if he gotten his breat , he laid his back on the chair as he made a akward eye contact with the other man, he decided he will tell him at once, Brian was surrounded by a sense of security that he was scared of breaking but he took a leap of faith, the feeling was overwhelming.

"I'm an observer, I like to analyze some things. Well at my parents there was this port I will see everyone go by for work and such, I even learned the patterns of when they arrived and so on-"

Martin was listening attentively, Brian sat up and turned his chair to face Martin and continued 

"One day I decided to go and meet one of the sailors, very handsome man who had seemingly noticed my staring and invited me out of my safe haven. I thought this was it, that my savior said 'You get to have this one' but after I knew it, my 'savior' met me with punches leaving me almost unconcious on the ground taking my wallet and everything of value"There was a certain hurt in his voice.

The other man's eyes looked sad but he was a bit busy venting the expirience to him.

"He didn't stop there he the proceeds to milk the money out of my parents and me for silence, which we called the police about, the worst hours of my life...being refered to as Mr.Undeservant-of-a-name...they send my aggressor to jail and me to a psychiatrist....I-I need a cigarette if you don't mind"His hands were a bit shaky as he reached into his pocket and pulls out a cigarette hoping to ease his nerves, he cuts the story short with the request. 

Martin gave him a light, and finally could the younger man look at those blue eyes once again without feeling any guilt piercing through him. He saw empathy, the empathy of someone who feels bad that someone could get dehumanized so much, Brian then takes a drag and stays quiet 

"I'm sorry you had to go through such unfairness"Was the only thing he could say, it sounded comforting.

"It's all good, thank you for listening to this boring man talk"He chuckled, letting the cloud of smoke slip through his teeth as he tried to give a pained smile

"Pardon the interruption!"

A voice beamed from the other side, it was that nasal voice he did not expect to hear at that moment. John stands by the glass with that crooked grin, with Ringo leaning his cheek against it, having George on his back and Paul right next to John standing with his arms crossed . They were all staring into the booth which could mean only one thing that, a small detail he forgot

"Yer' intercom is on" George's voice confirmed

Brian blushed and turned the machine off and looked at Martin who had placed a palm on his own eyes as to cover them from shame. They both had lost track of time talking, Martin then looked at the posh man with a very faint blush of embarrasment with a nerveous smile that reflected Brian's

"Let's do something, let's have lunch we can probably talk better then"

Brian froze for a second, and then blinked a few times and with a smile answered

"Sounds great to me, Martin. Ring me when we meet"

The thought of having dinner with Martin filled him with glee, another blessed break along with another opportunity to know the man more. The group of young men standing outside also seemed to be proud of having heard some of the talk like if they just heard the secret to success or something

"Alright boys stop fooling around , get your instruments and let us do the next track"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry my chapters are short , make up for lateness! Sorry :'Þ I hope you like this one, I gotta do some research on George Martin now oh boy . Thank you so much for the comments and kudos! Ily ♡


	3. Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian and George finally gets some time away from work after weeks of hard work

Weeks had passed since Martin's proposal, as time passed the word also spread about those four peculiar young boys who had suddenly caused the Cavern club to fill out every night, not only the Cavern but many other restaurants and clubs. The issue with Ringo seemed to have completely vanished after the small man had proved to be very grand at playing drums, for Brian and Martin it only meant more paper work and more phone calls to be made. There was already calls for the boys possible tour, big steps and as Brian had predicted this year was going to be the year where the Beatles will be known, even though he wasn't recognized properly yet he knew he would at some point, it made him slightly anxious but nothing too awful. With so much work to be done , Brian had a diet based on coffee and pills to keep him awake and to help him sleep so he didn't look like a dead man walking the next day when he headed for work. 

The thought of George Martin didn't leave his head though, even if he was packed with work, anytime Brian would put his phone, pen or suitcase down to stop what he was working on he saw Martin's eyes present somewhere in the corner of his mind. He was conflicted by this, was he that desperate for love that when someone showed some understanding he would fall for them? Why is it so strong that the fact that they were inches apart from each other for a brief second made his heart race? Is this him falling? These questions scared him, and a lot. He was in the middle of getting the boys some success, he couldn't allow himself to think or answer those questions; that wasn't his only fear, Brian had already been through enough to get another heartbreak or betrayal, not in the middle of raising an empire anyway.

He tells himself that he can take it, the constant rejection but in reality, it reminded him of how alone he was.

He walked into his safe haven of a house once again, it was a miracle that today wasn't too busy as the other days, he picked up his case and left it where he usually does. He unbuttons the cuffs of his shirt as he paces around the quiet home, fixing and checking things here and there. It was obvious due to how quiet the house was, that his parents weren't home. He walks towards the living room and then plops down onto the couch letting himself sink onto the comphy cushion, his mind wonders off again. His eyes bounce around different corners of the room, the thought of buying his own place came to mind, probably after they make enough money he would look for one. He opens up a bottle of uncorked wine and poors himself some of the red liquid on a fancy glass, he drank it down taking in the feeling of a soft burn until his hyperfocusing was disrupted by the loud ring of a phone.

He stood up and headed to the device, he was already making wild guesses in his mind of who it could be. But for some reason he didn't expect that familiar posh voice at the other end 

"Hello? Who is this? I'm George Martin, I work with Mr.Brian Epstein" He asked with a questioning tone 

"Hello Mr.Martin, You are talking to Brian. How are you?"His voice softened as he gripped the phone as if the voice was going to fade if he didn't grip it tightly enough 

"Oh! How are you , Eppy? I was wondering if we could've that dinner you promised me a few days ago"The posh voice seemed to giggle at the end of that, it made Eppy smile as well, a warmth bubbling in his tummy.

"Ah yes, of course, when and where?"He asked

"Tomorrow, since I assume you are probably exhausted for today" He sounded sympathetic, but thankfully Brian wasn't feeling too tired

"Actually, it was an easy day for me I think I could manage dinner today"He responded with a soft chuckle

"Oh! That's wonderful, umm maybe I can stop by in an hour or so , so that we can both make up our mind about where we wanna go?"

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first fic that I take seriously and I hope the chapter wasn't too boring this is an exposition for what I'm heading for and yes , i refer to George as martin for now just so you don't get confused ill change that in future chapters , anyways thank you!


End file.
